Daniel Berger’s Sunday in Memphis was anything but routine.
First, he didn’t even get to tee off on time for the final round of the St. Jude Classic. A rainstorm and lightning saw to that.
After a delay of more than two hours, he finally got to hit his first tee shot and it wasn’t good. It would lead to a bogey, not the start he was looking for to get that first, breakthrough win on the PGA Tour. His next tee shot was shaky as well but from that point on, he looked like a composed, experienced player.
The former FSU golfer held some quality challengers at bay with a final round 67 that was good for a three-shot victory over Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Brooks Koepka, pretty fast company.
“It’s the greatest feeling,” said last season’s Rookie of the Year. “You work so hard to get here, there’s nothing like it. I got off to a terrible start and I grinded it out.” He came up with a pair of front nine birdies to offset that opening bogey then down the stretch on the back nine. His biggest putt came from 32 feet at the par three 14th. That got him to 12-under. It was hit putter that kept him ahead of the challengers on the back nine.
Early in the day, Dustin Johnson shot 63, including a course-record 29 over his final nine holes. “That won’t hold up,” Johnson correctly predicted after his round. It didn’t as Mickelson (67), Stricker (67) and Koepka (66), all tied for second.
Koepka had a great chance to finish second to his former FSU teammate but he three-putted for par at the par five 16th.
